


18 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days.

by colorfocus



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 4x02 follow-up, Angst, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:54:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25743169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorfocus/pseuds/colorfocus
Summary: She wants to stay here- totally and fully here, finally alone with Waverly after so long, with nothing and nobody else to interrupt or take away from this moment. Under the blankets, interlaced together and entranced with one another, everything feels right again; but even wrapped in Waverly’s warm embrace, their bodies and minds finally reacquainted after too long apart, there’s still a lingering coldness at the brim of Nicole’s mind, unceasing.Or; a 4x02 follow up.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 2
Kudos: 114





	18 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days.

**Author's Note:**

> A follow up to that lovely Wayhaught scene we were blessed with at the end of 4x02.

12 PM

Finally, after 18 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days, she feels whole again, wrapped in Waverly’s warm, close embrace. The fire ignited between them by passion and longing and lust has now come to a low flame, leaving behind sticky skin and a burning warmth between their bodies, but it’s comfortable and it’s full of love and its _Waverly_ and they’re both far too exhausted to move now, so they both stay, bodies intertwined and hair splayed across each other’s bare shoulders, completely and undeniably each other’s. Gingerly, Waverly picks up her head to press a kiss to Nicole’s cheek, and Nicole smiles, her heart full. She wants to stay here- totally and fully here, finally alone with Waverly after so long, with nothing and nobody else to interrupt or take away from this moment. 

Under the blankets, interlaced together and entranced with one another, everything feels right again, but even wrapped in Waverly’s warm embrace, their bodies and minds finally reacquainted after too long apart, there’s still a lingering coldness at the brims of Nicole’s mind, unceasing. She turns her face into the crook of Waverly’s neck and buries it there, wanting to remain as close to her as possible, blocking out everything else as much as she can. Waverly’s arms come up to cradle the taller girl’s head to her chest, her fingers running through Nicole’s hair. 

__

“I always liked your hair long, you know?” Waverly whispers, admiring fiery shades of red illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window. Nicole smiles at that, picking her head up slightly to meet Waverly’s face. Her eyelashes are accentuated gently by the low light of the room, her hazel eyes heavy while her eyebrows hold a slight rise, waiting for a response. She’s beautiful, sex-tousled and sleepy or not, and Nicole is mesmerized, looking at her. 

__

“Yeah?” She asks, her own brown eyes dancing with contentment, full with adoration and reverence. Waverly purses her lips a moment, thinking briefly, and then makes her reply. “Yeah. I always liked it any way, really, but I always thought longer hair looked especially magnificent on you. Something about the way it falls down your shoulders, I think. It just swallows me up.” The corners of Nicole’s lips lift, and she presses a kiss to Waverly’s collarbone. “Well, thank you, baby.”

__

Waverly smiles, gently scratching Nicole’s scalp. “Of course,” She whispers back. Nicole peppers a few more kisses before glancing up at Waverly again, and then switches to running her pointer finger’s tip back and forth across her clavicle earnestly. She can’t help but revel in the softness of her skin, and at the fact that she gets to be touching it again. “You look tired,” Nicole notes quietly, head resting against Waverly’s shoulder as she watches her eyes get heavier. Waverly, like always, when being accused of getting sleepy before she’s ready to admit it, shakes her head. “No, not really,” she says, but the grogginess in her voice suggests otherwise. Nicole smiles, pulling Waverly into a half spoon, the way she sleeps the most comfortably. Waverly shifts, propping one leg over Nicole’s long torso and resting her head on the taller girl’s shoulder. “I love you,” She murmurs, cupping the opposite side of Nicole’s face to kiss her cheek once more. Nicole smiles, humming lightly. “I love you, too, Waverly Earp. _More than anything else in this world.”_

__

3 AM

__

Nicole’s chin is propped on the top of Waverly’s head, her arms wrapped around her, almost in a hug, after she had shifted in her sleep. Waverly groans lightly, shifting her hips closer to Nicole’s, and presses the cold tip of her nose to the warm space between Nicole’s breasts. Nicole chuckles to herself, stroking Waverly’s hair as she sleeps. She has yet to sleep herself, but it’s partially intentional, and that isn’t unusual for her these days. After everything happened in Purgatory, she had retreated back to the homestead in an effort to keep it safe for the Earps, should they return, but it came at a cost. Turns out, when you hole up in the most obvious hiding place, the people you’re hiding from actually think to look there. 

__

For the first few months she hardly got any sleep at night, and would instead sleep in broad daylight out in her cruiser with her shotgun resting against the center console; cocked, loaded, and ready to fire, rather than risk being the reason an intruder entered the homestead. This way, if anyone tried to enter, she would see it, and if they were just looking for her, they wouldn’t have to look long before being met with a fight. She couldn’t remember how many people and things she’d fought, shot, and dragged off the property; everything started to blur together after a few months in. Eventually, the numbers started to drop, until it became scarce for anything at all to wander up to the homestead. 

__

But she never let her guard down, the polaroid picture she kept of herself with the Earp sisters weighing heavy in her jacket pocket at all times, as if to remind herself- _Hold what you’ve got. Don’t you dare let them down once they finally get back to you._ She lifts her head to look across the room at the jacket she’d left on the chair in the corner, making sure that it was still there, and that the picture that became her constant over the past 18 months remained safe. 

__

She knew that come morning, Wynonna and Doc would wander up to the house and they’d all talk and catch up and make a plan for what to do next, but in the same instance, she’s hesitant to trust anything that isn’t what she’s known for the past months. She tries to shake the doubt out of her head. _Waverly is here. Right here, with you. Wynonna and Doc are going to come and find you two soon. They’re all back. It’s over._ It’s unconvincing. It seems like a dream, one she’s almost too afraid to believe. She sighs, pulling Waverly in closer, trying to clear her head of anything keeping her from being wholly in this moment. 

__

Suddenly, Waverly’s head picks up, just slightly, and she groans. “Baby?” She asks, her sleep-fuddled voice quiet and deeper than usual. Nicole looks her over carefully, quickly, making sure nothing seems wrong, and then presses her forehead to Waverly’s. 

__

“Yeah, Waves?” Waverly clears her throat and furrows her eyebrows, pausing a moment, before speaking again. “Why are you up?” She asks sweetly, tucking a stray strand of Nicole’s hair behind her ear. 

__

“Oh, I don’t know,” She says, shrugging, unsure of what to say. _I’ve only been averaging about 4 1/2 hours a day for over a year, and if I sleep any longer I get nightmares about losing you_ doesn’t seem quite appropriate. 

__

“I guess I’m too wired after all we got up to,” She jokes, but it falls flat between them. Waverly knows better, and it makes sense; she’s used to humor being Wynonna’s method of deflection, so why would she fall for it with Nicole? “Honey,” She starts again, pushing herself up closer to Nicole’s face and propping her head onto her elbow. Nicole turns her head to look at her, watching as the moonlight leaks around her back and shoulders, wrapping her in a shroud of low light. Beautiful. 

__

“Hm?” Nicole hums, rolling onto her side and copying Waverly’s position. “What’s keeping you up?” Waverly asks, bringing their noses together to brush each other. It’s a small gesture, but it makes Nicole more comfortable, and she appreciates it. Still, the conversation feels awkward, a sweet moment being weighed down by the heavy truths of reality. She shrugs, glancing out the window to check for any movement on the ground outside. When she sees none, she continues. 

__

“I guess I got so used to sleeping with you, once you were gone it didn’t feel right. Plus I had to keep a watch out, and night’s the worst time to turn a blind eye, so I-“ Waverly cuts her off politely but firmly. “Have you not been sleeping enough?” She asks, her eyes full of loving concern. Nicole manages a small smile, not sure of how much to say and how much to leave out. 

__

“Well, more lately than at first, for sure,” She says, offering a small smile. Waverly smiles back, but keeps pressing. “How much is that, would you say?” Waverly’s free hand reaches for Nicole’s, and she intertwines their fingers, bringing their joined hands to rest between their bodies.

__

“Maybe like... 5 hours a night?” Nicole offers, but it sounds more like a question, and even if she was sure it was at least five, which she really wasn’t, Waverly isn’t satisfied. “Oh, baby. That’s not enough sleep to run on all day every day. Especially not if you’re always staying so on-guard.” Nicole shrugs, her eyes drifting away and coming to rest on their hands atop the blanket. It’s quiet for a tencount, and then Nicole folds. 

__

“I guess I kind of kept myself awake somewhat, too,” She admits, looking back to Waverly, who tilts her head, confused. “Why’s that?” Nicole sighs, tracing her thumb over Waverly’s hand. “I guess I just don’t know what to do, now that you’re back,” Right away, she feels her throat tightening. 

__

“I mean, Wave, I waited and waited and I think part of me worried you’d never come back,” Tears brim her eyes even muttering the words, but she continues on, wanting to give Waverly the explanation she asked for. “Now that you’re here I almost can’t believe it. It feels like a dream, kind of, and I’m almost afraid that if I let myself fall asleep I’ll wake up... alone again.” 

__

Waverly moves in closer, dropping her supporting arm and leaning instead on her shoulder so that both her hands can come up to cup Nicole’s face. She feels a tear fall down her cheek, but Waverly is quick to wipe it away with her thumb. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.” Nicole shakes her head as if to tell her not to be. After all, it wasn’t Waverly’s fault. 

__

“I’m here now, okay? I’m right here and I am real and I am staying right here beside you, no matter what.” Nicole looks up at Waverly, tears in her eyes and her face a sweet, sad mess, and Waverly clicks her tongue and pulls her into a hug. “Baby, I promise you, I’m real. I’m here, right here with you. We’re gonna fall asleep together tonight and wake up tomorrow and meet up with Doc and Wynonna and we will figure out the rest from there, but for right now? I want you to focus on me. On us. I’m right here, baby, I promise. Right here holding you. I’m not letting go, I’m right here. You’ve got me, okay?” Nicole sniffles and nods, squeezing Waverly tighter and burying her face in her shoulder. 

__

“I love you so much, Nicole,” Waverly adds, one hand coming across her shoulders to rub her girlfriend’s back. Nicole exhales, deep, and nods, wiping the tears off her cheeks. “I love you too, Waverly Earp.” Waverly kisses the crown of her head, breathing in her scent and thanking every god she doesn’t believe in that she managed to find her way back to Nicole. Tomorrow would no doubt bring with it heartache and confusion and new struggles by the boatload, but for this moment, they’re together, and for tonight, with limbs intertwined and hearts wide open, that’s enough. _To be with each other is enough. <\em>_

__

__

__

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! It’s been a while since I’ve written for pleasure, so please leave me some feedback and kudos.
> 
> I’ll be trying to post here more regularly again, and already have a few other fics in the works. So keep an eye out, and hopefully those will be coming out soon! 
> 
> Remember to bookmark/subscribe to keep up with updates, and you can also follow me on my twitter account, my user there is @/earpitup.


End file.
